Solace in Facade
by SimOph52
Summary: A young Seeley Booth sneaks out of the house while on a family vacation in Seaside, NJ to find some solace and finds it in a young girl whom he is drawn to.
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, yeah... I know I should be updating my other story... but this is something that I just absolutely could not get my mind off of until I wrote it. **

**There MAY be a SECOND CHAPTER added to this story depending on the response to it, but as of right now... I don't know. So let me know what you think, okay?**

**R&R PEEPS!**

(P.S. This is the revised, not totally screwed over by find/replace function. Thanks for pointing it out to me Ree2104!) If you see anything else that is amiss, let me know!

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It was both beautiful and ironic really. Stepping out of a house filled with screams, bruises and blood and finding myself under a pristine sky, soft gentle breeze and blissful quiet. I never dreamed that taking these steps outside would be so easily done, what with my little brother and mother still trapped under the iron fist that belonged to my dad. Jared is old enough now, I think to myself, attempting to relieve some of my guilt for sneaking out of the house without him.

By now, he is probably locked in his room, hiding under the sheets in his bed cowering away from the violence while my mother breaks yet another extremity because she "fell". Normally I try to attract attention to myself because I am a man and I can handle it, but tonight I can only see myself as a nineteen year old who got the crappy end of the paternity stick.

I look down and see that it is only a one story drop; it won't hurt any more than an injury I get on a normal night at family dinner I rationalize, and without a second thought, I jump from the roof and land on the ground with my feet like an agile cat, although the searing pain that shoots up my calves prevents me from walking for a minute or two.

When I finally regain full feeling in My legs, I stand up off of the ground and brush off leaves and dirt from my jeans and open the gate from my backyard to the street. It's very rare that my family ever goes on vacation, mainly because my father spends most of his income on bottles of Jack Daniels and cheap vodka that even makes my eyes water just being in close proximity to it, but this year he actually came home with plans to go the jersey shore and rented a small house in Seaside Park as an apology for a particular nasty night in the Booth household, when the booze ran dry and his impatience did not.

I make my way down the street and before I even reach the corner, I wonder whether I should turn and go back or keep on my path. In one respect, I am scared that if I don't go back, something might happen, something serious which I will always regret not being able to prevent but on the other hand I'm scared that if I go back, he will turn on me yet again about why I am coming through the front door rather than upstairs.

I stop and take a deep breath and think to myself, Just this one night to myself, God will forgive me for just this one act of selfishness. Again, I continue on my path and mindlessly steer myself towards the boardwalks. It's late and all of the games and stores are closed and the only people left inhabiting the boardwalks are couples, the homeless and numerous seagulls that are picking at the bits of food left behind by tourists.

I see a girl about a half a mile ahead of me. In high school I was more or less known for my suave nature with women, although it was really all an act to maintain my social status and keep my home life a secret. Now, I tend to shy away from talking to girls, or anyone really. I have a close knit group of friends at school, who encourage me to get out and party with them, but the one time I went out, some drunken jerk started a fight for no reason and ruined the night for everyone and since then I avoided phrat parties and large social gatherings.

The girl is fidgeting with the sleeve of her shirt and staring out onto the water there is something about her that I can relate to just through her body language alone. As I draw closer to her, I take in her appearance, baggy jeans, old beat up sneakers and a small zip up hooded jacket that has seen better days. Her delicate brown hair is swept up in a messy bun although there are strands of hair that have come loose with the strong breeze off of the water. She is not peaceful but she is at peace leaning against the wooden side rail of the dock.

I always do this, I think to myself, make it seem like I have a connection with a person that I don't know just because I'm lonely, and despite myself I sit on a bench one down from her and wait in hope that she will notice me, talk to me even though it is unlikely.

"Why are you staring at me?" she says to me without looking in my direction.

My heart skips a beat at the sound of her voice. I can't believe that she is talking to me, so I look around to make sure of it and find that I am the only person close enough to speak to. I clear my throat and say, "I'm not." But it doesn't sound as definitive as I would like it to.

She turns her head slightly, in my direction but she still doesn't look at me, "Yes, you are." She says with a slight laugh in her voice, "I know what it feels like when a guy looks at me."

I cross my arms and lean back on the bench, "Well then, you must be mistaken because I'm not a guy."

She giggles and turns around to face me and I find myself immediately drawn to her piercing blue eyes, so much so that I almost miss it when she says, "Oh, so then… you're a woman?" she asks jokingly.

I laugh as well, "No, what I meant to say was that I'm a man." I say proudly.

She examines me with a keen eye and leans her side on the railing with her arms crossed, "Just barely." She says with a smirk.

Although I want to appear offended, the smirk to match hers falls upon my lips and it's too late to take it back, "Yeah, well; only time can take care of that." I say. There is something about her that is mesmerizing even though I can't pinpoint what it is about her exactly that makes me want to be near.

She looks down at her hands, which are still fussing with the cuff of her hoodie, "You aren't one of those criminals who prey on young women are you?" she asks.

Suddenly I become stiff in my seat and I feel my eyes widen at the boldness of the question, "No." I say and this time it sounds as definitive as I want it to.

She sighs and looks up at me, "Yeah, well; I guess if you were you wouldn't tell me anyway, right?"

"If it were true," I say quietly, "shouldn't you be running away or something?" I ask.

She looks at me and a small unexpected smile forms on her face, "I could take you in a fight." She says.

I lean back on the bench and smile and I say, "I'm sure that you could." Even though I know that it isn't true.

I sit in silence looking at her and she is looking at me as well and I wonder if she feels the connection that I feel that I have with her. She is pretty, but not in the traditional sense of the word. Her features are striking but quirky and she is uncomfortable in her own body and she reminds me of stories that my mother used to tell me about herself as a young girl, and there is no one more beautiful than her. I become slightly uncomfortable under her gaze and shift in my seat, "So, what's your name?" I ask.

She pauses and shifts her gaze before answering, "Jane Goodall." She said, "you?"

I laugh, "It's nice to meet you Jane." I say sarcastically, "My name is… George C. Marshall."

She laughs and slowly starts to move towards me until she finally sits down next to me on the bench, "You smell nice." I say, turning to her.

She looks confused and smells her shoulder, "Trash bags?" she asks, "You like the smell of trash bags?"

I've confused by the statement, "No, your hair smells like flowers." I tell her, "Jasmine?"

She takes a lock of her hair and smells it, "Oh, it must be my shampoo." She states.

"It's nice." I reply; then pause before asking, "Why would you think I was going to say garbage bags?"

She rolls her eyes, "Oh, like you can't tell by looking at me?" she says sarcastically. I look at her and have absolutely no response and her expression changes, "Never mind." She says under her breath.

"So, what are you doing out here this late at night? You know that it isn't really safe for a girl to be out by herself this late at night."

"Meeting someone." She says without taking her eyes off of the water.

"Oh," I say and abruptly stand up, "I'll just…" I start to leave but she grabs my hand.

"No, please stay." She asks and I can see the pleading in her eyes.

I nod my head silently and take the seat next to her again. She lets go of my hand and clasps hers on her lap, "What about you? Why are you out so late?" she asks.

"Avoiding someone." I say honestly.

She nods and tells me softly, "I know what that's like."

We both sit in silence again, listening to the sounds of the waves comfortably side by side until she breaks the moment, "So, what are you going to be when you grow up?" she asks.

I laugh at her innocent question and shrug, "I'm going to be an officer I think."

She nods, "Police?"

"Maybe." I say, nodding my head, "What about you?"

"I think I'm going to be a scientist."

I nod, "What kind?"

She shrugs and looks at me, "I'm not sure yet. My dad… he…" She shakes her head.

"What about him?" I ask.

"Oh," she says, then coughs, "It's not important. You know, you should work for the Feds. You look like one."

I laugh, "Uh, thanks?"

She crosses her arms, "Welcome." She shivers.

"You cold?" I ask.

"No." she says automatically, but I take off my jacket and she leans forward so I can put it around her shoulders, "Thanks."

A small plane flies overhead and I look up, "That plane is really low, isn't it?" I ask her.

She looks up, "It's probably landing in Newark." She says.

"Huh. Is Newark close to here?"

She shakes her head, "Not by driving." She says, "but for a plane, yeah."

I look up at the plane again and without thinking I say, "I've always wanted to do that."

She looks at me curiously, "Do what? Fly in an airplane?"

"Oh." I say, slightly embarrassed, "I meant jumping out of one."

She half laughs, "I would like to do that too someday. It would be… exciting." She smiles.

I turn to her, "We should go together."

"Yeah, we should do that."

Even though I want to keep that promise, I know that the likelihood that I will ever see her again is very limited but I can't help but think that she knows it too and this whole conversation, even the fake names that we've picked out is just a way of finding some sort of solace in a stranger.

"You know what else we should do?" she asks. I smile and turn my whole body towards her, "We should backpack through South America. I think that would be fun, don't you?"

"I don't know that it would be fun, but it would definitely be one of those unforgettable once in a lifetime experiences."

"Come on, Charlie." She says knocking her shoulder into mine, "What else do you want to do?"

I sit and think for a moment before coming up with something, "It's stupid, but I would really like to go to Paris, even though they supposedly hate Americans. I really love old architecture." I laugh.

"Well, that won't be a problem for us because I can speak fluent French." She smiles.

"Really? You speak French?" I ask.

"Oui." She responds and then laughs. Her laugh gives me a sense of calm that nothing I have ever heard or experienced does.

"Well then, I'd have to buy you a pretty Parisian dress for helping me with all of the translation as well."

"Who says that I want a dress?" she asks me.

I laugh, "I'm the one buying it." I say, "Besides, I think I would look very fetching in a dress."

"Well, I appreciate the compliment, but I'm the one who would have to wear it." She remarks.

"Yup." I reply, "Which is why I would then take you out to a fancy restaurant."

She smiles mischievously, "But I would pay the bill to thank you for the lovely dress."

I nod at her, "Fine then, have it your way." I smile at her and before I can even stop myself, I hear my voice say, "But I'll only let you pay the bill if you save a dance for me."

She closes her eyes and leans her head on my shoulder, "All of my dances are saved for you." I lift my arm and place it around her shoulders and she snuggles more securely into my side and I rest my head on top of hers. We sit in silence again until I hear a faint sniff and she says, "It would be wonderful wouldn't it?" she asks, and her voice is strained.

I turn and find a tear falling down her cheek, "What?" I ask softly, thrown off by her sudden sadness.

"If we could really do those things someday." she says, wiping the tear away with the back of her other hand.

I pull her into a hug and rub her back, "We will, we could… someday." I say to her. This whole situation was strange really. I just met this girl and the both of us are acting like we've known each other our whole lives but somehow it feels almost right. I knew from the moment I saw her that I had more in common that I thought. Maybe we were meant to meet here; now on this boardwalk, or maybe we were meant to meet at another time and place altogether, but the one thing I knew for sure was that we were meant to be in each other's lives.

She pulls away from me and wipes her eyes, "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." She says, turning away from me.

I put my hand on her shoulder, "Hey, it's okay. I really don't mind."

She laughs, "I just met you and I'm acting like… ugh, I don't know." She shakes her head.

I sigh audibly, "You're not the only one." I say in an attempt to ease her mind.

She turns to me and I guess that she sees in my eyes that I'm telling her the truth and she smiles, "Thanks." She says, and sniffs.

I tentatively place my hand on her back, "Your welcome."

She inhales and looks back out over the ocean, "I wish every night could be like this one." She states.

"Why?"

She takes a moment and I can see her trying to formulate an answer in her head. She sighs and glances over at me, "You're the first person in a very long time who has taken an interest in me who doesn't have an agenda or who wants to take advantage of me." And then she looks at me and half smiles and I can't tell whether or not it is truly happy.

All that I can think to say is, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She says, turning back to the water, "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?" she asks, and when I don't reply she shakes her head and says under her breath, "I hate that saying."

"Me too." I reply.

She pulls up her shirt sleeve to reveal a watch and says, "It's late."

"Yeah." I reply.

"I should… probably get back." She says, and the reluctance in her voice is almost tangible.

I smile and slowly stand up and she follows suit, "I could walk you back if you like." I offer.

She turns to me and smiles, "Nah, it's really close by. You don't have to worry about me."

"Tomorrow is my last day here so, I don't know, maybe, do you want to meet up again?" I ask.

She sighs, "I would really love to, but I'm… I'm not going to be here anymore." She says sadly.

I nod, "Well, okay then." I say, and we stand in front of each other either because we don't know how to say goodbye or because we don't want to; I'd like to think it was the latter.

She steps closer to me and fixes the collar of my t-shirt, "I've changed my mind Charlie." She says.

My breath hitches from her actions and I look and her delicate hands as they fall onto my chest, "What about?" I ask softly.

She smiles the mischievous smile that I like so much, "You are definitely a man; the best kind of man." She says and tilts her head to the side. Everything she does is just absolutely endearing and if I could; if she would let me, I would run away with her in a heartbeat, just to spend more time with her.

I take one of her hands off of my chest and kiss the back of it softly, "Take care of yourself, okay Jane?" I ask.

She nods and squeezes my hand and turns to walk away, but turns back, "You know, that's not really my name, Charlie." She says.

I nod, "That's not mine either."

She laughs and turns again and walks down the boardwalk. I watch her for a moment, and notice that she is still wearing my jacket, but choose not to say anything about it. I turn to walk away and then turn back, "Hey Jane!" I yell.

She turns abruptly, "Yeah Charlie?" she asks.

"Weren't you supposed to be meeting someone?" I ask.

She pauses for a moment before answering, "I found him." She smiles and turns around again and walking out of sight.

I take a deep breath and walk back towards the house thinking of her and I think that if I can meet her again someday or at least someone similar, all of the crap that I've been through might just be worth it.

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Want more? Review... tell me what you think should come next!


	2. Chapter 2

**Longest chapter in history. Holy cow. That hurt the typing fingers... **

**Review! Make the ache worthwhile.**

Edit: fixed the problem with the years. I did the math one night while I was lying in bed about to go to sleep and never even thought to double check it! haha... besides, I've never really been good at math anyways.

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_"Hey Jane!"_

_"Yeah Charlie?"_

_"Weren't you supposed to be meeting someone?"_

_"I found him."_

It was a long time ago. Thinking back on it now, it's probably the only time in my life where true innocence prevailed. It was just a simple moment, but it's surrounded by violence and despair both because of my father and because of myself. That's probably why I raise Parker the way I do. I want him to feel that his entire childhood is made up of moments like that one.

"I don't understand why you're being like this Booth. How was I supposed to know that you didn't want me to do that?" she asks me as we walk into the Jeffersonian this morning.

"I told you before going in that I didn't want him to think that we suspected him. I knew he was going to run. The guy's a loser and he doesn't have anything or anyone keeping him here."

She shrugs and throws her hands up in the air, "Well, I'm sorry, then. It will never happen again. But perhaps for next time you should think about reading a book on communication skills. I have one that I read about a year ago that was extremely helpful."

"I know that it will happen again, Bones. It's not like that was the first time you've done something like that; and for the record, your communication skills aren't all that great either."

She turns on her heels and glares at me, "Name one time," she says, poking her finger into my chest, "One time in which I let a suspect know that he was a suspect."

I widen my stance and glare right back at her, "The kid in the alley dressed like a superhero; you said to the bowling alley guy, 'I'll see you in the comic books buster'."

Her eyes widen and I can tell that she is becoming frustrated with me, "In my defense the expression was used incorrectly so in actuality, it didn't make any sense anyway and… And! You never told me that you didn't want him to know that we suspected anything!"

I laugh sardonically, "Yeah, well just because the phrase was wrong doesn't mean he didn't get the picture and you leered at him, which is why he was trying to run when we arrested him that night."

She scoffs, "Well at least we arrested him and I'm sure that we will arrest McCleary as well when the pick him up at the roadblocks the FBI set up." She says crossing her arms, "Besides, I thought you said that people were supposed to be nice to those who are celebrating their birthdays."

I sigh and realize that I did indeed tell her that this morning when I went to pick her up, "You're right. We will pick this argument up tomorrow, bright and early at eight a.m. Okay?"

She thinks for a moment, "I have a meeting tomorrow at eight, how about ten thirty?" she asks.

I repress a laugh, "Okay, pencil in 'argument with Booth' at ten thirty in your personal organizer."

She nods, "I will… do that." She says, trying to repress a smile herself.

We both turn and head to her office and upon entering, there stands her new catch of the day ironically named Charlie and I roll my eyes. He sees this but ignores me and goes straight to her with a bouquet of purple lisianthus. He kisses her on the cheek and hands her the bouquet, "Happy Birthday Temperance." He said in a sickeningly sweet tone and I moan softly, but loud enough for them both to turn and look at me.

Brennan turns back to him and smiles, "Thank you so much, Charlie. They're beautiful." And she smells them graciously.

"Not as beautiful as you." He says, and I laugh, gathering both of their attention again.

"I'll… I'll just be…" I say pointing toward the door and I slowly back out of the office, two glares following me on my way out.

I dejectedly make my way across the Jeffersonian hall and am stopped by a voice, "Hey sweet cheeks."

I turn and am not surprised to see Angela standing a few feet behind me, holding a file in her arm and smiling like she just saw something scandalous, and with knowing Angela, that something scandalous could be someone borrowing a pencil from their neighbor, "Hey Angela."

"So," she says, glancing over and Bones' office, "How's things?"

I glance over as well and look back at her, "Things are fine, how are your things?"

"My things are always good." She says suggestively.

I laugh and shake my head, "What do you want, Ange?" I ask, knowing that there is something more that she wants to know.

"Stop pretending like that," She says gesturing to Brennan's office, "doesn't bother you."

I shrug and look back at Bones' door, "It doesn't. I don't know what you're after, but there is nothing more happening than there has always been."

"And by 'always been' you mean the fact that you're totally smitten in love with Bren and are too afraid to acknowledge it." She says.

I scoff and look away from her, "You're… out of your mind Angela."

She looks back at Brennan's door and sighs, "Well, even if you don't want to admit it to me, at least take comfort in the fact that he won't be around long." She says.

"What do you mean?" I ask, a little more excitedly than I would like, "Did Bones say something to you."

She smiles mischievously, "No, but her relationships don't tend to last very long."

I laugh, "Yeah, because most of them are criminals."

Angela punches me in the arm, "No!" she stops and thinks, "Well, you have a point, but that wasn't what I meant." She says, stepping closer to me, "She has a particular type in mind and although she gets close, she's never… satisfied in the end."

I close my eyes for a moment, "Ange, if this is a sex thing…"

"It has nothing to do with sex, Booth. I'm talking about the connection between to individuals."

I shake my head, "No, Bones isn't like that. It's all about biological imperatives and intellectual stimulation."

Angela laughs and stops my words with her hand, "No, that's what she tells everyone so they don't catch on."

"Alright, Ange." I say, "I'm stumped. What is it you're getting at?"

"Brennan wants someone strong, able bodied, smart but with different opinions and morals than herself, someone to care for her but also willing to let her care for him, independent but loving and dominating but not domineering."

I laugh sarcastically, "She's never going to find that."

Angela turns to me and looks me dead in the eyes, "She already has." She turns to leave and then turns back to me, "Don't forget about tonight. Call me at eight."

I nod and turn to leave the Jeffersonian, but then realize that I left a file in Bones' office that I need to turn into Cullen by the end of the day. Looking at my watch, I realize that it is four thirty and I need to get a move on before Cullen rips me a new one. I jog across to her office and swing the door open interrupting a more private moment between the pair. Brennan forcefully pushes Charlie away from her and I turn my eyes back to the door, "Sorry Bones. I need that file I gave you this morning before I leave."

I don't look back at them, for fear that she might be partially disheveled and I hear her footsteps to her desk, "Are you sure all I need to do is sign it?" she asks.

"Positive." I say and extend my hand toward her.

There is a moment of silence and then I hear her say, "Booth, turn around." I slowly turn around and find that she is not disheveled in the least, and I exhale in relief. She extend s the file to me and when I try to retrieve it, she doesn't let go, "We're not children Booth."

I look at her and find that there is no part of her expression that is remotely happy or amused, "I just didn't mean to interrupt your… moment. Regardless of how inappropriate it is at work."

Her eyes flare and I know that I made a mistake, but luckily, her new intern of the week steps into her office and calls her out, leaving me and Charlie alone together, "So," I say trying to make conversation, "Did she like the flowers."

"Loved them." He says defensively.

"Good." I say back.

He smiles at me and crosses his arms, "I'll also be taking her out to dinner tonight, so you should probably make plans to go with someone else to the diner tonight."

My temper starts to rise and then deflates as I realize the implication of what he has said, "No, you can't take her to dinner tonight."

He looks at me angrily, "And why the hell not?" he asks.

I look out the window and see that Bones is busy up on the platform, leaving me at least a few moments to explain, "Angela set up this whole surprise party for Bones tonight at her apartment and I am the one who is supposed to stall her so that they can set up."

He stops for a moment and thinks, "A surprise party? Why wasn't I invited?" he asks, seeming a little hurt that Angela wouldn't invite him. Angela always puts on a show in front of Brennan's men and only told the truth after they left.

I grind my teeth a little and look at him, "To be honest, I don't think any of us thought that you would be dating her this long."

He looks at me questioningly, "It's only been two weeks."

I nod, "Normally her boyfriends have either been arrested, received a broken bone from her or… well, they just don't make it this long."

"If you don't mind, what was the third reason?" he asks me.

I run my hand through my hair, "Or… they're intimidated out of dating her." I say.

He laughs slightly, "By you?" he asks.

I wipe my nose, in the traditional 'tough guy' way and take a step closer to him, "No, Charlie, not _just _by me. Bones is very important, to all of us. We're her family and if someone isn't treating her with the proper amount of respect, we get a little angry about it. We want her to be happy." I say, looking down on him. He is only a few inches shorter than me, but it's enough for him to get a little nervous.

"I'll tell her I have an emergency at work." He says, turning to the door, then turning back to me before he opens it, "But you will see me at the party tonight, Agent Booth. And I think that you should get used to this face, because I'm going to be around for a while." He says, then exiting the office and going to talk to her.

I watch him approach her and break the "bad" news. She looks saddened but not disappointed really, but as he walks away from her, she looks up and meets my eyes with daggers in her own and she storms back to her office to confront me. I brace myself for the tongue lashing that I am about to receive, "What did you do?" she asks, throwing open the door to her office.

"Wha-me?" I feign innocence, "I didn't do anything!"

She scoffs and hits me in the chest, "I have come to find that whenever I see a man fleeing from my office that you're usually inside smirking at him as he runs away."

I snort, and try to suppress a chuckle because of how adorable she is when she's angry with me, "I don't know what you're talking about, Bones. I didn't say anything to him really. I asked how work was, how things were going with the two of you and that was it, I swear."

She gives me the once over to decide whether or not I'm lying and then relinquishes that I'm telling the truth, thankfully. She never was one for reading people and although I'm not the best liar in the world, it does happen to be one of my strong suits considering my training with the FBI and the Army. She sighs and takes a seat behind her desk, looking up at the bouquet before turning away from it and entering her password into her computer, "What are you still doing here?" she asks without looking up at me.

I shrug and take a seat in front of her, "Nothing really." I nod to the bouquet, "These flowers are very nice." I say, attempting to gage her reaction.

She looks up at them, to me and then back at her computer screen, "They are quite lovely." She says.

I nod, "Yeah, but they're not your favorite."

She sighs and looks over at me as though she is disinterested, "Stop it, Booth."

I smile at her, "Stop what?"

"Stop making it seem like he isn't right for me. You always do this, you know?"

"What?"

"Point out the flaws in every man that I date. My personal life is not really any of your business." She says, becoming defensive.

I pause, taking a moment to understand the full meaning of what she said to me, and I am content to see the regretful look on her face, "Is that really-?" I start, but she interrupts me.

"No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I'm just… never mind."

I lean forward toward her, "If there is something wrong, you know you can tell me, right? Is it Charlie?" I ask.

She releases a breath and smiles at me, "No. It doesn't have anything to do with him. I finished my book, but my publisher wants me to add another chapter at the end." She says exasperatedly.

I looked at her confused, "Like something specific or just something more?" I ask.

"Her exact word was 'fluff'. Although I don't know exactly what that means, I think I have an idea of what she is looking for, I guess. So, basically I'm writing some exposition about the case that Andy…"

"Bones, she doesn't mean exposition." I tell her.

She sits up in her chair and gives me an appraising glance, "And what do you think it means?" she asks.

"She wants you to write a scene between Kathy and Andy about their relationship."

She pauses and looks and the screen and then back at me, "Like another sex scene?" she asks.

I smile at her and can't control the slight blush that comes to my face just thinking about some of the steamy sex scenes between the two characters, "No, Bones. Something sweet and endearing about them. You know, so sweet it makes your teeth hurt."

She tilts her head to the side and her tongue sweeps over her front teeth, "But that isn't like Kathy and Andy at all; In fact, those moments really only happen in fictional work written by amateurs."

"What?" I exclaim, "Moments like that happen all the time in real life. I know for a fact that even you have participated in 'fluffy' moments." I tell her.

She leans forward on her desk and challenges me, "Name one." She says.

I smile and I can feel the phrase on my belt buckle embodying me as I lean forward towards her, "Outside of the diner after Zack got his P.H.D."

She scoffs, "That wasn't fluff, and I know for a fact that my teeth didn't hurt."

I laugh, "Bones, first of all, that was definite fluff and secondly the phrase about teeth hurting is like a metaphor; it isn't meant to be taken literally."

She slumps back in her seat and crosses her arms, "I swear; you need to make me a translation dictionary for some of the things you say." She says, then getting a confused look in her eyes, "That was fluff?" she asks.

"One hundred percent, Grade A cake frosting, Bones."

She giggles and swivels her chair, "That's very effeminate of you, Booth."

I pull on the collar of my shirt and put on my tough guy exterior, "I'm all man, Bones." And wink at her.

She laughs again and looks back at her computer screen before saving the document and standing up to stretch, "Alright." She acquiesces, "Let's go get some dinner. I think I need a break from this anyway."

I clap my hands and stand up and offer her her coat, "Great! They have apple pie today."

She slides her arms into the coat and grabs her bag, "Which I will not be eating any of." She remarks.

"One day, Bones. One day, I will get you to eat nothing but pie and you'll be happy about it." I say leading her out of her office.

"I'd like to see you try." She says. She stops and looks at me for a moment and then looks at her watch, "Booth, don't you have to get that file to Cullen by five?" she asks.

I look down at the file which is on her desk and then at my watch which states that the time is definitively four fifty. I silently scold myself and turn to her, "Do you mind if we take a detour on the way to the diner?"

"No, Booth. It's okay, why don't you go drop off the file and I'll run home and change and you can bring takeout over." She says, obviously liking her idea better than mine.

"No." I say, wracking my brain for an explanation that she will buy.

She looks at me curiously, "Why not?"

"The birthday girl should never be alone on her birthday." I say enthusiastically.

She squints at me, "Is that one of your illogical rules again?"

I nod and drop my arm around her shoulder, "Yes it is. You're going to come with me to the Hoover building and then we're going to the diner. It's tradition, Bones. You can't break tradition."

She looks up at me as we exit the Jeffersonian, "What if I have to go to the bathroom?" she asks, "Are you going to go in with me?"

I look down at her, "Uh… I think that is the loophole in the rule, Bones."

We go to the Hoover and I run upstairs and meet Cullen on the way out of his office, "I'm so sorry, sir." I say handing him the file.

He looks at me appraisingly and then at the file, "You're lucky I didn't go home exactly at five, Booth." He says.

"I'm sorry, it's just, I had to run some interference for Bones'… I'm mean Doctor Brennan's surprise party tonight."

"Surprise party?" he asks.

"We're throwing her a party for her birthday and her new… the guy she is seeing almost ruined it."

Cullen chuckles and slips the file into his briefcase, "Dope." He says.

I roll my eyes, "You said it, sir." I laugh.

He laughs again, "I wasn't talking about him, Booth. You're the dope." He says, brushing past me and walking down the hall.

I stand frozen for a second and then realize that Bones is waiting for me in the car still. I go back downstairs and get into the car.

"What's wrong?" she asks as I settle myself and put the car into gear.

I look at her and back out of the spot, "Nothing."

"Did Cullen yell at you?" she asks, wincing at the thought.

I shake my head, "No. He just said something a little weird I guess. Nothing big."

When we get to the diner there isn't much conversation. We order our food and all I can think about is whether or not she will like the party or more importantly the gifts that I got for her. Tonight is the night that I plan on telling her everything; which is why my hands are shaking and I'm sweating a little bit.

Brennan leans across the table after her last bite of salad and puts her hand on my forehead, "You feel a little warm, Booth. I think you're getting sick."

I take her hand down from my head, "Don't worry about me, Bones. I'm fine." I say.

She sighs and resumes drinking the rest of her tea in quiet. I look at my clock and realize that it is about time that we start heading to her place, so I stand up and pay the bill. She watches me and stands up as well, putting on her coat and jacket before we both leave.

We get to her apartment and I walk her up to her door and now I am even more nervous than anything. She keeps giving me these concerned looks and I feel badly about it, but I can't help it.

"Do you want to come in for a drink?" she asks.

"Sure." I say and she proceeds to unlock her door and push it open.

She steps inside and the lights turn on and a plethora of people jump at her shouting "Surprise!" She lunges back straight into my chest before realizing what is going on.

"WHAT!" she yells and laughs and I can't help but smile at the expression on her face, undoubtedly Angela got a picture of her face the moment of her surprise.

Everyone is there, including Charlie and they all gather around her to wish her a happy birthday. Max comes up to me and pulls me aside, "Can you believe this guy?" he says in a hushed tone.

"Who? Charlie?" I ask.

He nods, "He invited himself to a party. My daughter really knows how to pick'em, eh?" he says sarcastically.

I laugh, "Don't worry. Angela says that he isn't going to last very long anyways."

Max looks at me and pats me on the shoulder, "Not as long as you're around, that's for sure." He says, then winks at me. I shake my head and inwardly hope that he is right, especially after tonight.

After everyone has settled down and has a drink in their hand there are small conversations going around the room and I keep looking at my stack of presents for her in the corner almost making sure that they are still there and a small part of me hoping that they disappear, because I know that there is no going back after this. I see Max and Charlie talking and then Max asking if he would mind stepping outside for a moment and I consciously decide that I didn't see anything and turn back to the party. A few minutes later, the two men come back inside and Charlie gets his coat from the inside closet and makes his way over to me.

He looks up at me and then back down at his hands, "Uh… all the best Agent Booth." He says, extending his hand to me.

I take it and give it a good shake, "It was a pleasure meeting you." I say and he nods and makes his way over to Bones. He whispers something in her ear and she nods and turns back to a conversation that she was having with Angela and Amy. Then I see Charlie move back towards the door, shake Max's hand and leave.

Max looks up at me after the door closes, smiles and mouths the words, 'Good riddens' to me. I can't help but laugh and roll my eyes at the old man. He has a way of getting people to do exactly what he wants.

My laughter dies down as soon as Angela shouts, "Okay! Let's open some presents!"

I swallow hard and make my way over to the couch and Brennan sits down next to me. Amy and Russ take the two chairs directly opposite the couch, Angela and Hodgins sit on the floor next to each other and Cam and Max stand behind them and watch on as Angela hands the first present to Bones.

The first one is from Amy and Russ; it's a new alarm clock. Brennan's broke when she threw it across the room. I don't know when that happened but apparently the old one was absolutely destroyed. Next is the present from Angela, which is apparently too risqué for Bones to reveal in front of colleagues and her father and brother, so she just pushes it off to the side to look at later. Next is the present from Cam; she gave Bones a gift certificate to the local day spa, saying that Bones could use a day of R&R, which I have to explain the meaning of to her.

Max gave Bones a beautiful necklace that once belonged to her mother, which was nearly the show stopper. And lastly, Hodgins gave Bones an espresso machine which he said that he couldn't live without and figured Brennan would appreciate one as well.

Angela leans over to look at the four remaining items and looks up at me, "Help me out here big guy?" she asks.

"Just hand them all over because there is a specific order that they need to go in." I tell her. She hands over the largest one first, the two envelopes and then the last box. I pick up the larger present and hand it to Bones.

She looks at me in shock, "Booth, you didn't have to get me all of this stuff. A card would have suited me just fine, you know." She says.

I smile at her, "Don't worry about it, Bones. You'll understand why I had to do this in a few minutes." I say, "Now open that one." I tell her, nodding to the present I placed in front of her. She lays the long rectangular package on her lap and pulls the tape off in a delicate manner and I wouldn't expect any less from her.

In the last stroke, she pulls off the paper to reveal a painting. She looks at it and smiles, "This is quite lovely Booth." She says.

"What is it?" Angela asks, "Is it painted by anyone I know?" she asks.

Brennan turns the painting around so that everyone can see it. It's a painting of a young girl in a white dress on a boardwalk in the sunlight; her feet are bare and the wind is rushing through her hair.

"Who painted it?" Brennan asked, "I didn't see a signature on it." She says.

Angela looks at me and smiles, "I know who painted it." She says mischievously, "Do you remember what I said about brush strokes, Booth? They're like fingerprints." She says, raising her eyebrow.

I smile at her, "I don't know what you're talking about, Angela."

Brennan peaks around the painting to look at Angela, "Do you know who painted it, Angela?" she asks.

Angela laughs and looks at me and then Brennan again, "You're sitting next to him."

Brennan turns and looks at me, "You painted this?" she asks, sounding rather shocked.

I nod and attempt to avoid eye contact, "Yeah." I say.

"Seeley, that is really good." Cam says stepping forward.

Hodgins laughs, "Wow G-man, who knew you had an artistic touch."

"Me." Angela said arrogantly, in jest of course.

Brennan turns the painting around and looks at it again and then at me, "This is beautiful, Booth. Thank you." She says leaning the painting up against the end table. I pass her the next box and she graciously takes it and repeats the ritual of carefully unwrapping it. She opens the lid and finds inside a dress. It's deep purple in color and in her size. She picks it up out of the box and holds it up to herself and Angela, Cam and Amy gush over the quality of it.

I smile and Russ looks at me and smirks, "You are so whipped." He says and Hodgins busts out laughing; lucky for Russ none of the girls heard him say that, but his father whacks him over the head for the comment and I laugh.

Brennan sits back down next to and looks me in the eyes, "I feel like this is all leading to something Booth."

"Only one way to find out." I say, handing her the appropriate envelope.

She begins to open the envelope and looks up at me before tearing it open. Inside is a letter written to her, from me. She unfolds the note and looks up at me.

"I think you should probably read it out loud, Bones. They're going to find out what is in there anyway." I tell her.

She nods and begins to read, "Temperance," She begins, "I know that I have never been very forthcoming about my past, but I hope that now that you have learned the truth about what my life was like then, that you might understand why I was hesitant to talk about it. Nevertheless, I still have a few secrets that I need to reveal to you. I'm sorry that I have kept these things from you for so long but I wasn't quite sure how and when to tell you. Looking back on it now, it seems inevitable that our relationship would grow in exactly the manner that it did, and I am so grateful to have a partner and friend like you and believe me when I tell you that I could, literally and figuratively, not ask for a better person to fill those two roles in my life.

"When we first started out as partners, It was obvious that you were a beautiful, strong and independent woman if not arrogant and stubborn as hell. It was only until later, after this secret came to light, that I realized that the woman you are; the layers underneath was where your true beauty was laid.

"At first I wasn't sure that you would care either way if I told you, but then when I started realizing that there was much, much more to you than meets the eye, I knew that I couldn't keep it from you. So, I began trying to find the right moment to let you know, but unfortunately that moment never came because before I knew it, I was a changed man. I realized that I had grown to think of you as more than just a friend, Temperance.

"I ignored my inner monologue for a very long time and kept myself focused on the one thing that I had been trying to tell you for a while, but instead of being afraid that you wouldn't care, I was now terrified that you would hate me, because in telling you my secret, it would have brought up memories from your own past, and that maybe you wouldn't accept what I had to tell you as truth considering there was no tangible evidence to support it.

"Here is the thing, Bones; seventeen years ago, I met a girl. Before I had even said a single word to her I knew that there was something; a feeling of desperation that she and I shared. I was drawn to her in the night and I couldn't pass up the potential opportunity that this girl would talk to me; that she might notice in me what I had noticed in her.

"She did talk to me that night and I found her to be extremely independent, stubborn, opinionated woman who absolutely took my breath away. She was the girl that I modeled all other girls after from that point on. It has become evident to me that that is why I date the kind of women that I do. All of my previous girlfriends have always been strong women; although, I must admit that none of the women from my past could really quite compare to this girl that I met.

"Here is the truth behind all of this exposition; I've been hopelessly in love with this girl for the past seventeen years." She stopped and looked up at me as I grabbed her hand from off of the couch cushion. She wiped her right eye with her wrist and continued, but her voice was becoming tight, "I promised this girl, Jane, something that night and I intend on keeping my word." She stopped again and looked up at me and the tears came without her permission. She leaned forward and buried her head into my neck before I could say anything to her.

I rubbed her back and ran my fingers through her hair before whispering to her, "Do you want me to continue reading?"

She simply nodded and handed me the letter without removing herself from me and I continued where she left off, "Since both you and I have both seen our fair share of South America and we have both jumped out of an airplane at one point in our lives, I figure it's about time that I claim my dance in Paris from you, Jane. Just please know that I love you, I always have been and I always will be yours. With love in all it's sincerity, Seeley Booth also known as, Charles C. Marshall the boy on the boardwalk."

I folded the letter and set it down on the couch before looking around the room at everyone, Angela was bawling, Amy and Cam were also chasing away tears, Hodgins and Russ looked shocked and Max just looked as though it were the happiest day of his life.

Brennan was crying so hard into my shoulder that I wasn't really able to move, so I gestured to Russ to hand me the last envelope that was sitting on the coffee table and he quickly handed it to me, "Hey Jane." I whispered to her.

"Yeah?" she asks into my shirt.

I smile and run my fingers through her hair again, a feeling, which I am loving, by the way, "you have one more envelope to open." I tell her.

She slowly wiped the tears away from her eyes and then sits back when she feels that she is appropriate and takes the envelope out of my hand and opens it. She reaches inside it and pulls out the two tickets for Paris that I bought for us. She holds them up for everyone and says, "Tickets for Paris." Softly and turns back to me and hits me with them, "You've known for four years and didn't tell me?" she says and even though she sounds annoyed, she looks happy.

"I've known since a few days after you gave me the case file on your parents. There was a picture of you inside there and I didn't put the pieces together right away, but I figured it out." I say nodding and feeling a little guilty about not telling her.

She punches me in the arm lightly and then hugs me for a long minute and says, "I've loved you too, Booth, then and now. Now more than ever." Angela growls at the both of us. Bones turns around and looks at her strangely, "Brennan, if you don't kiss that man right now, I will, damnit!"

"Oh," Bones says, "Right." Then she turns back to me and plants her lips onto mine and almost like one of those cheesy romance moves everyone 'awes' at us. Then Brennan pulls back suddenly and looks at me. She gets up off of the couch and says a vague, "hold on." Before leaving the room.

Two minutes later she comes back and throws something at me. It's my jacket from that night, the one that I let her wear because it was cold, "You kept this?" I ask her.

"What is that?" Hodgins asks.

"It's my jacket, the one I gave to her seventeen years ago." I say.

"I wanted something to remember you by. You were the only person in the span of three years who was ever really nice to me." She says.

"It has my name in it." I tell her.

Her eyes get wide suddenly, "What!" she says coming over to inspect it.

"My mom always labeled our clothes. Look." I tell her, flipping the label of the jacket. There on the back it says, "Property of Seeley Booth."


End file.
